New York Knicks: Immanuel Quickley fostering early point guard hope

The history of the New York Knicks’ point guard spot is embarrassing, but Immanuel Quickley has so far offered optimism for a turnaround.

The New York Knicks used savvy draft-day maneuverings to move up and select Immanuel Quickley with the 25th pick in the 2020 Draft. Though many liked the Kentucky product’s productivity from beyond the arc, those same people also believed Leon Rose reached too high for an undersized scoring guard with limited defensive potential.

“I’m not sure anybody had him in their top 40,” The Athletic’s John Hollinger wrote following the draft. “And one wonders if the Knicks overrated him based on the Kentucky connections in their front office.”

“The skill here is that he’s an absolutely elite shooter. Knocked down 43 percent from 3 and 92 percent from the line despite being at the top of scouting reports by midseason,” wrote The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie in that same article. “…I’d have gone a number of different directions here, as I did not have him in my top-40.”

Quickley’s stroke hasn’t been present across three preseason appearances. He’s made 7-of-9 free-throw attempts but has shot just 4-of-12 on threes, good for a below-average 33.3 percent clip.

The confidence in his shot returned in New York’s most recent outing against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Quickley was 3-of-5 on triples in a 119-83 beatdown, taking and making the type of looks he’ll need to thrive both now and in the future on his way to 22 points along with five assists in 29 minutes.

A pull-up 3-pointer has become one of the most sought after shots in basketball, honed by star guards like Damian Lillard, Trae Young and Kemba Walker. It’s the perfect way to punish opposing guards who duck under a screen — as Darius Garland does above — or slow-footed bigs who operate in drop coverage. It’s a shot Quickley must grow comfortable with to further his status among the game’s top perimeter threats.

Unfortunately, considering his place within New York’s hierarchy, those self-created looks are likely to be few and far between in Quickley’s rookie season. Frank Ntilikina, Dennis Smith Jr., Elfrid Payton, Austin Rivers and Alec Burk will all likely sit ahead of him in the rotation. Not to mention the ball-dominant presence of Julius Randle and RJ Barrett requiring touches in the frontcourt.

To earn minutes for Tom Thibodeau, Quickley must prove the ability to play off his teammates, hence the need for catch-and-shoot proficiency. Only then can he begin to show off other aspects of his game with the scraps left over by the Knicks’ core.

In the preseason, however, Quickley saw plenty of time on the ball. When those opportunities came, he showcased solid poise in pick-and-rolls by keeping the on-ball defender — who chased over the screen in these instances — on his back before unleashing several teardrops below the free-throw line.

For someone categorized as a score-first guard, Quickley also showed unexpected passing chops. He’s not orchestrating play calls or dissecting defenses, but the simplicity he uses to swing the ball to the open man has proven beneficial with 13 assists in the preseason compared to just six turnovers.

There’s a recent history of scarcely-used Kentucky guards blossoming at the NBA level. Only one of Tyler Herro, Jamal Murray and Devin Booker had a usage rate north of 25 during their lone season at Kentucky.

Quickley’s usage rate was at 23.4 last year as a sophomore. Though the Knicks haven’t exactly been frivolous with the playing time they allocate to their youngsters, the evidence suggests a drastically different approach should be undertaken.

Booker was handed the keys to the Suns’ franchise. Jamal Murray was Denver’s starting point guard by Year 2. Tyler Herro just got more than 30 minutes a night across 21 playoff games en route to the Finals. All three now represent some of the best youth either guard spot has to offer after getting the chance to grow early on.

Can Quickley follow in their footsteps? Some of that will come down to his ability to pack weight onto a slender 188-pound frame. That diminutive build helps him scurry around screens but isn’t built to keep his matchup from the rim or take it to the basket himself without being bumped off his route.

Other aspects will be dictated by New York’s ability to let him go after what is a considerably high bar with a consistent if not regularly evolving role within the offense.

It’s been painful to watch the names who have come through Madison Square Garden trying to resurrect the point guard position for the Knicks. Especially when the Hall-of-Fame standard-bearer can be found along the sidelines almost every night.

Frank Ntilikina. Dennis Smith Jr. Emmanuel Mudiay. That’s been the rollercoaster ride of only the last several seasons. When the best of times in the Big Apple has been a nine-game stretch from Jeremy Lin or basic competence by Raymond Felton, the agony is understandable.

New York has tried to internalized pain that’s spanned decades, using it to ward off the false hope that has hurt them before. But a tortured fanbase is a sucker for any good to latch onto, and Quickley, even if it’s just preseason play against the worst defense from a season ago, seems to be the latest extending a hand.